Ladle stopper rigging



Nov. 26, 1940. L. c. EDGAR, JR

LADLE STOPPER RIGGING Filed Aug. 26, 1939 S-Sheets-Sheet 3 .INVENTOR L0 u/Ls CTEQfqar/n UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LADLE STOPPER RIGGING Louis (3. Edgar, v.Ir., Oakmont, Pa., assignor to Blaw-Knox Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 29,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanism for actuating the stopper of a bottom-pour ladle.

Stopper actuating mechanisms as known heretofore have been characterized by certain serious objections. In the first place, they have required considerable manual effort for their operation. Secondly, it has been necessary for the operator to hold the stopper open during the pouring operation'which means that he must stand near the ladle. He has no choice of position, furthermore, as the usual operating lever is fixed relative to the ladle. It has been possible, furthermore, for the stopper to be retracted too far. thereby causing the pour to proceed at an excessive rate.

I have invented a novel form of stopper actuating mechanism which fully overcomes the aforementioned objections and is characterized by further advantages which will appear more clearly from the following detailed description. In a preferred form of the invention, a guide adapted to be adjustably mounted on a ladle has spaced anti-friction bearings in which a lift rod is movable longitudinally. An operating lever for the lift rod is movable to various positions as may be convenient for the operator. The mechanism of my invention, furthermore, is so constructed that the stopper can be raised by an uplift or a downpull on the operating lever. I also provide means for holding the stopper in various positions and for preventing excessive elevation thereof. This preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings to which reference is made in the following description. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly broken away and partly in section, showing one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation taken at right angles to that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial elevation showing a portion of Fig. 1 to enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is a view partly in section along the line IVIV of Fig, 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken along the line VIV'I of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is an end view of a detail;

Fig. 8 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 9 is a view showing a portion of Fig. 3 with parts in alternative positions;

Fig. 10 is a View similar to Fig. 1 showing another form of the invention;

Fig. 11 is an elevation taken at right angles to that of Fig. 10; and

1939, Serial No. 292,435

Fig. 12 is a partial elevation showing a modification.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, a bottom-pour ladle Ill of any desired construction has a pouring nozzle or spout l l in the bottom thereof. A stopper l2 cooperating with the inner end of the nozzle ll comprises a plurality of refractory sleeves l3 disposed on a stopper rod [4, the upper end of which is threaded. The stopper I2 is supported on an arm I5, the inner end of which 10 is bored to receive the end of the rod M. The rod is adjustable relative to the arm [5 by nuts l6.

The arm I5, is secured to the upper end of a lift rod II, the rodend being tapered as at [8 and threaded at its extreme end to receive a holding 15 nut Hi. It will be apparent that the arm I5 is thus fixed securely to the rod II. The adjustability of the stopper rod I4 relative to the arm l5 permits the stopper I2 to be so positioned that its lower end makes proper contact with the nozzle despite wear of the latter or expansion of the rod I l.

The rod I! is slidably disposed in a housing or guide 20 which is preferably in the form of atube. Bearing boxes 2| are secured to the guide 20 near opposite ends thereof and are provided with grooved rollers 22 journaled therein on anti-friction bearings 23. The rod I! which is rectangular in section as shown in Fig. 4, is thus guided for axial movement between the opposed rollers 22 in the boxes 2!. The rod II is operated by means to be described shortly, to cause axial movement of the stopper rod l4. A hearing block 24 secured to the guide 20 iscarried on a screw 25 which is threaded therethrough. The screw is journaled in bearing brackets 26 secured to the ladle. A hand wheel 21 keyed to the screw 25 permits the latter to be rotated manually whereby the block 24 is shifted along the screw. This causes a movement of the guide 20 tangentially of the ladle and a corresponding movement of the stopper [2. This adjustment permits the stopper to be alined with the nozzle l I in one direction. The screw 25 serves as a hinge pin pivotallymounting the guide 20. Angular movement of the guide about the screw 25 may be effected by a screw 28 having a hand wheel 29 thereon. One end of the screw 28 has thereon a ball 30 received within a socket 3| secured to the ladle. The other end of the screw is threaded through a ball nut 32 received within a socket 33 secured to the guide 20. This adjusting means permits the lower end of the stopper I2 to be alined with the nozzle I l in a radial direction relative to the ladle.

A neck 34 comprising a short length of tube is secured to the lower end of the guide 2!) as by welding and is provided with a bottom flange 35. A yoke 35 is supported on the flange 35 and is rotatable about the neck 34. Radial holes 31 in the yoke are adapted to aline with similar holes in the neck 34 whereby a locking pin may be inserted through alined holes to secure the yoke in a selected position. The yoke may be adjusted about the neck by removing the pin.

The yoke 36 is provided with bearings 38 and 39 on opposite sides thereof to which a fulcrum link 40 and a ratchet link 4|, respectively, are pivoted. The fulcrum link is provided with a series of holes 42 adjacent its lower end whereby an operating lever 43 may be pivoted to a selected J point thereon by a removable pin 44. The ratchet link 4| has a similar series of holes 45 whereby it may be pivoted in selected position to the bearings 39.

The lower end of the lift rod H is turned down to receive a curved link 45 in swiveled relation thereto, the link being held on the rod by a nut 41. The link 46 is pivoted to the lever43 as at 48. The link 4| has ratchet teeth 49 formed thereon. A pawl 50 pinned to a shaft 5| journaled in the lever 43 cooperates with the teeth 49. As best shown in Fig. 6, the lever 43 comprises a pair of spaced bars having a tapered projection 52 adapted to enter the socket of an extension lever. i.

A collar 53 having a laterally projecting segment 54 is also pinned to the shaft 5| as shown in Fig. 6. A counterweight 55 has a supporting arm 56 and an eye 51 thereon adapted to receive the reduced end of the shaft 5| and to engage one or the other of the edges of the segment 54 projecting from the collar 53. When the counterweight 55 is in the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6, it tends to urge the pawl 50 into engagement with the toothed edge of the ratchet link 4|. The counter-weight may easily be flipped over so that the arm 56 engages the opposite edge of the segment 54' and thereby urges the pawl 55 away from the toothededge of t e link-4|, as shown in Fig. 9; A pin 58 extending through the lever 43 holds the link 4| in proper relation to be engaged by the pawl 50. The link 4| has a series of holes 59 formed therein and thelever 43 has a hole 60 adapted to aline therewith. A pin 6| is secured to the lever 43 by a chain and is adapted to be inserted in alined holes Hand 60 for a purpose which will appear shortly.

It will be clear that an upward force on th tapered end of thelever 43 will raise the lift rod l1 and the stopper l2. The pawl 5i! cooperating with the toothed edge 49 of the'link 4| serves to hold the lever 43 in elevated position so that the stopper is held open without effort onthe part of the operator. The pin 6| is preferably initially inserted in one of the holes 59 above the lever 43 to limitthe maximum'elevation thereof. This, of course, prevents the stopper frombeing raised beyond a predetermined level. While pouring, the operator inserts the pin 6| through the hole 80 to lock the lever 43 up in correct open position, and shifts thepawl 50 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 9. On completing the pour, the lever 43 may be lowered on removal of the pin 6|. It will be understood that the series of holes 42 and 45 in thelinks 4i! and4| permit the-lever 43 to be adjusted to a convenient position corresponding to the lowermostposition of-the stop- .in Fig. v12, a lever 43' has a pawl 53. 43' is similar-to the lever 43 and is pivoted to ing the stopper.

2,223,062 v I I per l2. The swivel mounting of the yoke 36,

furthermore, permits the lever 43 to be adjusted angularly about the axis of the lift rod I! to any position which may be convenient for a given pouring operation. The swivel mounting of the yoke 35 permits this angular adjustsirable at times to raise the stopper by a down- Fig. 12 shows a modified As shown The lever pull on the lever. structure whereby this may be done.

the links 40 and ifi. In Fig. 6, the positions of the links 43-and 4| relative to the link 45 are .opposite those in which they are shown in Figs. 1 and 3. This change is effected by merely rotating the yoke 33 through an angle of 180.

The lever 43', in addition to the tapered end 52' adapted to receivean extension lever, also has its opposite "end tapered for the same purpose, as indicated at52. With this second tapered end, the lever 43 is reversible and may be disposed in the position shown in Fig. 12 or in that shown in Fig. 3. If the tapered end 62v is omitted,'separate levers are required for the different relative positions of the links 40'and' 4| as shown in Figs. 3 and 12, respectively. It will be clear that a downpull on the end 52' of the lever 43' will causethe lift rod H. to be elevated. The pawl 53' cooperates with the ratchet link 4| in the same manner as the pawl 5|] to hold the lift rod in any position to which it may be elevated.

Figs. 10 and llillustrate a further modification. which is similar in most respects to that already described. The guide .20 thereof, however, is provided with. a pawl 63 adapted to cooperate withratchet teeth 64 formed on the lift rod IT. This takes the place of the ratchet link 4|. A leverv 65 pivoted to the fulcrum link 45 andthe swivel link 46 operates in the same manner as the lever 43 to raise the lift rod. This lever maybe used without change in either of the two relativepositions indicated in Figs. 3 and 12.; That is to say, the yoke 36' may be rotated so that the link 43 is on the side thereof near the operator so as to give him a choice of the uplifting or downpulling strokes for rais-.

When the pour has been completed, the operator raises'the lift rod slightly and retracts the pawl 63 by flipping its counterweight 55' to its alternate position. The pawl 63v and its counterweight are similar in construction to the pawl 50 and its counterweight. It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the invention provides a stopper actuating mechanism for pouring ladles' characterized by numerousadvantages over structures of the same general character which have been known heretofore. The stopper may be readily adjusted relative to the lift rod in order to keep the operating lever in a convenient position despite changes in the level of the .top of the pouring spout resulting from wear or changes in the length of the stopper caused by expansion. The stopper may be raised by an uplift on the operating lever or a downpull. The operating lever may be: swung at various angles to facilitate movement thereof-in close quarters. The maximum elevation of the stopper may be limited as desired. The stopper remains in elevated position until lowered by the operator so that he is not required to exert any continuous effort during pouring. A further advantage is that the lift rod moves easily between its bearing rollers and but little eifort is required to raise or lower it in the guide. In addition, the guide may be easily adjusted so as to spot the end of the stopper in exact alinement with the pouring spout.

Although I have illustrated and described herein but a preferred embodiment of the invention with certain modifications, it will be understood that changes in the construction and arrangement disclosed may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a pouring ladle, bearings secured to the ladle structure for supporting a screw horizontally and generally tangentially of the ladle, a gen erally vertical guide mounted on said screw for tilting movement thereon, said screw being effective on rotation to cause bodily movement of the guide tangentially of the ladle, a lift rod slidable in said guide, and a stopper carried on said rod and extending downwardly into the ladle.

2. Actuating mechanism for the stopper of a bottom-pour ladle comprising a guide tube disposed substantially vertically alongside the ladle, means mounting the tube for movement relative to the ladle and means securing the tube in adjusted position relative to the ladle, a. lift rod slidably carried in said tube, a yoke mounted on the lower end of the tube for rotation about a substantially vertical axis, a fulcrum link pivoted to said yoke, a link swiveled on the lower end of said rod for rotation about an axis coincident with the axis of rotation of the yoke, and an operating le-- ver pivoted to said links.

3. Actuating mechanism for the stopper of a bottom-pour ladle comprising a guide tube disposed substantially vertically alongside the ladle, means mounting the tube for movement relative to the ladle and means securing the tube in adjusted position relative to the ladle, a lift rod slidably carried centrally of said tube, a yoke mounted on the lower end of the tube for rotation about a substantially vertical axis, fulcrum and ratchet links pivoted to said yoke on opposite sides thereof, a link swiveled on the lower end of said rod on an axis coincident with the axis of rotation of the yoke, an operating lever pivoted to said fulcrum and swiveled links, and a pawl on said lever cooperating with said ratchet link.

4. Actuating mechanism for the stopper of a bottom-pour ladle as defined by claim 2 characterized by ratchet and pawl means on said tube and rod, respectively, adapted to hold the rod in elevated position until the pawl is disengaged.

5. Ladle-stopper operating mechanism comprising a lift rod to which the stopper is secured, a guide through which the rod is longitudinally reciprocable, a member swiveled on the lower end of the rod, an operating lever pivoted to said member, and a fulcrum bracket mounted adjacent the lower end of said guide for rotation on an axis coincident with that of said rod, said lever being also pivoted to said bracket-and freely shiftable therewith to any desired position about said axis.

LEWIS C. EDGAR, JR. 

